Posted on 12/22/2012 10:38:53 AM PST by Clint N. Suhks
IOWA CITY, Iowa — A dentist acted legally when he fired an assistant that he found attractive simply because he and his wife viewed the woman as a threat to their marriage, the all-male Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday.
The court ruled 7-0 that bosses can fire employees they see as an “irresistible attraction,” even if the employees have not engaged in flirtatious behavior or otherwise done anything wrong. Such firings may be unfair, but they are not unlawful discrimination under the Iowa Civil Rights Act because they are motivated by feelings and emotions, not gender, Justice Edward Mansfield wrote.
An attorney for Fort Dodge dentist James Knight said the decision, the first of its kind in Iowa, is a victory for family values because Knight fired Melissa Nelson in the interest of saving his marriage, not because she was a woman.
But Nelson’s attorney said Iowa’s all-male high court, one of only a handful in the nation, failed to recognize the discrimination that women see routinely in the workplace.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I don’t agree with the underlying premise that firing without “just cause” is lawfully immoral. Furthermore, not sure why you insist on making this personal by suggesting I practice what you deem to be immoral.
I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but there’s this bull-headed view among certain Conservatives that says: “Unless the force of law is backing morality than there’s no morality.” That’s statism, and I’d rather take the smaller lumps that come with libertarianism.
‘Just too darned good-looking.’
That must have been a burden for you in your life.
I on the other hand, have had to rely on brains and sheer talent.
BTW, do you know if WalMart is hiring???
I think people should be fired for any reason even stupid reasons, but it’s pretty stupid to get rid of a perfectly good employee when there are so many bad employees that cause all sorts of trouble. The next employee he gets will probably file a bogus lawsuit against him and cause him all sorts of headaches.
By the same logic, firing them specifically because they are fat and ugly should be legal too,, right?
I've had the same problem, many many times.
Merry Christmas!
FMCDH(BITS)
“The world didn’t end yesterday, it turned upside down.....”
You are RIGHT ! ! !
This is the same supreme court in Iowa that approved “same-sex-marriage” . . .
So be careful of which gender that might be “irresistible” . . .
Draw your own conclusions..........
So she’s hot. While exceedingly easy on the eyes, hot women are a dime a dozen in America. Why would his wife even worry, unless she doesn’t look as good as Nelson does?
I think the media attention from this will cost him other employees, as well as dental clients.
I have no problem with firing for any reason, so long as the employer does not then cry “foul” when more women are no longer eager to work for him when they research his name and background or when more women are no longer willing to have him for a dentist because of his foolish unwillingness to control his sexual urges in the workplace.
Choices have consequences; this particular dentist will experience a backlash.
Indeed, that facet of the case is disturbing—his clear inappropriate, unprofessional sexual remarks in the workplace were downplayed by the court.
Such a ruling is absolutely in line with Sharia law, and the refusal of the court to hold the employer to account should be condemned by good conservatives.
I’d hate to be having a root canal while his root was standing at attention!
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